Bentley rides fresh product to global sales record

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and a seven-week production shutdown that began in March, Bentley in 2020 posted its best global sales ever as the British ultraluxury brand's product push paid dividends.

Bentley delivered 11,206 vehicles globally in 2020, a 1.8 percent increase. Volume in the Americas region, which consists of the United States, Canada and Latin America, rose 4.1 percent to 3,035. The region accounted for 27 percent of global sales, making it Bentley's largest region for the second year in a row.

Mike Rocco, vice president of sales and operations at Bentley Motors Inc., the brand's Americas unit, said the automaker was coming off success at the end of 2019 with the Continental GT V-8 launch.

A busy year across its product range kept momentum going in 2020.

Both the Continental GT with the more powerful W-12 engine and the redesigned Flying Spur sedan launched in the first quarter, while the refreshed Bentayga SUV launched at the end of the third quarter.

"For us, it was that steady and consistent product cadence that really gave us the ability to weather the storm better than most," Rocco told Automotive News.

The U.S. accounted for the majority of Bentley's Americas sales, totaling 2,859 units in 2020, up 4.7 percent from 2019's 2,731 units.

Fresh product will continue in 2021. The Flying Spur V-8 is set to arrive at the end of the first quarter, while two refreshed Bentayga variants, the Speed and Hybrid, will join later.

The Bentayga accounted for around 30 percent of Bentley's Americas sales in 2020, and Rocco said the automaker is aiming for the SUV to account for roughly 36 percent of the region's sales this year. The 2021 Bentayga U.S. sales target is 1,400.

Rocco said the automaker believes luxury segment growth will continue.

"We're very bullish with our product cadence from where we were in 2019 to where we're going through all of 2021," he said. "We do see growth progressing, but we're cautiously optimistic."